2024-25 Berlin Prize Fellow — Nell is selected as a Fall 2024 Berlin Prize Fellow.

BERLIN—May 6, 2024—The American Academy in Berlin announced the Berlin Prize recipients for the 2024-25 academic year. The Berlin Prize is awarded annually to US-based scholars, writers, composers, and artists who represent the highest standards of excellence in their fields, from the humanities and social sciences to journalism, public policy, fiction, the visual arts, and music composition. Chosen by an independent selection committee, the 2024-25 class of fellows will pursue a wide array of scholarly and artistic projects.

Nell's project will be My Elsewheres, in which she undertakes a personal exploration of place and identity. Reflecting on her life abroad—in her youth in France and Ghana, and in her writing, in Germany—Painter’s book examines how these experiences shaped her self-understanding, perspectives on race and history, and the value of narrative storytelling.

The Berlin Prize provides recipients the time and resources to advance important scholarly and artistic projects, free from the constraints of other professional obligations. Fellows work throughout the semester with Berlin peers and institutions in the Academy’s well-established network, forging meaningful connections that lead to lasting transatlantic relationships. During their stays, fellows engage German audiences through lectures, readings, and performances.